There was commotion all around him, and he vaguely noticed the pounding of a gavel. He normally would’ve gotten a kick out of that, but his entire attention was focused on the pale, heart-shaped face of his friend.
“Can you hear me?” He ran his thumb over her cheek, willing her to respond. His chest tightened a fraction more every minute Lizzy’s expression remained blank.
“Is she okay? The bailiff wants to know if he should call an ambulance.” A young woman knelt by his side. She was wearinga black suit and a worried expression on her face. She must have been one of Lizzy’s colleagues.
Before he could answer, Lizzy stirred in his arms. “No, Katie. No ambulance.”
“God, Lizzy.” Jack gathered her against him, scrunching his eyes shut as relief rushed through him. “You scared the shit out of me.”
“You’re here,” she said in a small voice, muffled against his chest. “I’m so happy you’re here.”
“Of course I’m here.” He pulled away and grinned down at her, tucking a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. “I had to witness the great Elizabeth Chung’s first opening statement.”
“Oh, my God.” She jerked into a sitting position. He wanted to kick himself for the rude reminder. “The opening statement… the trial…”
“Don’t worry. The judge called a recess until one thirty,” Katie said, putting a hand on Lizzy’s shoulder. “But I think I should let Peter know what happened.”
Jack didn’t think it possible, but Lizzy’s face paled even more, and his chest tightened with worry. He wrapped his arm around her waist in case she passed out again.
“You’re right,” she said grimly. “He’s the supervising partner. He should be kept apprised of everything.”
“And he’ll know what we should do.” Katie got to her feet.
“What we should do about what?” Lizzy’s eyebrows furrowed above the bridge of her nose.
“You know”—she rummaged through her purse—“about what to do next.”
“I know what to do next,” Lizzy said with icy calm. Jack helped her struggle to her feet, holding her arms to steady her. He frowned when he felt tremors running through her. “I’mgoing to give my opening statement when the court reconvenes at one thirty.”
“But…” Katie stared slack-jawed at Lizzy, hugging her cell phone to her chest.
“Are you sure you’re well enough to do that?” Jack protested even though he recognized the stubborn determination in the jut of her chin.
Her narrowed eyes shot toward him, but he arched his brow and held her gaze. Nothing was going to stop her from resuming the trial. She always achieved her goals no matter what it took. But that didn’t mean he had to like it. Sometimes she pushed herself too damn hard.
“I haven’t eaten anything other than some peanut M&M’s since yesterday afternoon,” she said, turning back to her colleague. “Once I get some real food in me, I’ll be good to go.”
Jack wanted to call her bullshit when she swayed on her feet, but he just tightened his hold on her and watched as Katie rushed out of the courtroom with a dubious glance over her shoulder.
“You should sit down.” He pulled out a chair for her with a resigned sigh. When Lizzy sank into it without argument, his concern grew stronger. Some color had returned to her lips, but her cheeks were still pale. “What really happened up here?”
“I…” She glanced around the courtroom. The bailiff was chatting with the court clerk at the front of the courtroom. There was no one else around them. “I had a panic attack.”
“A panic attack?” He sat down in the chair next to her and leaned in closer. She was the most confident, unflappable person he knew. But maybe being strong all the time took a toll on her. “Has it ever happened before?”
“A few times,” she said, her eyes sliding away from his. “But I’ve never passed out from it before.”
“Lizzy.” He waited until she looked at him. She’d been keeping things from him—a flash of hurt shot through him followed closely by guilt… he should’ve known—but that wasn’t what mattered right now. “Do you think you can continue with the trial without it happening again?”
“I have anxiety medication. I didn’t want to take it because it makes my head fuzzy, but maybe I’ll take half a pill this afternoon.” She wrung her hands in her lap. “I let my thoughts go down the rabbit hole, and my anxiety just snowballed. I know better than to let that happen. I have tools to deal with anxiety before it gets this bad, but sometimes I forget to actually use them.”
“Hey, stop being so hard on yourself.” He tugged her close with his hand behind her neck and pressed his forehead against hers. “This is your first trial. It’s a fucking lot. Show yourself some grace.”
“Thank you, Jack.” She leaned into him for a second before she pulled back and smiled at him.
His breath caught in his throat. Even pale and drawn, she was so beautiful. He was staring, but he couldn’t turn away. He couldn’t even smile back like a normal person. If he didn’t do or say something soon, she would be weirded out. And yet, his wordless staring continued. He wanted to drink in the sight of her. He hadn’t seen her in close to three months.
“Sorry I took so long.” Katie rushed into the courtroom, slightly out of breath. “I had to get out of the building to make the call. This courthouse is some sort of a signal-blocking fortress.”
